The International Gender and Sexuality Studies Conference is presented by the Women’s Research Center and the BGLTQ+ Student Center at the University of Central Oklahoma with assistance from the UCO chapter of the National Organization for Women. In tandem, these organizations promote engagement with Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality issues.

Our theme this year is “Striving and Thriving.” In different communities and contexts, and amid ongoing fights toward inclusivity and justice, what does it mean to strive and thrive in life? How might we question, critique, or deepen these terms? Is there—or should there be—a rubric or a set of expectations to guide individuals and groups through this process? How, when, or for whom are striving (efforts) and thriving (outcomes) connected? This year’s conference seeks diverse perspectives on the notion of striving and thriving in life—intimate, interpersonal, institutional. We hope to demonstrate the ways that scholars, activists, and students in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies take up the notion of striving and thriving through intersectional and interdisciplinary lenses. Keynote speaker: Dr. Carol Mason, author of Oklahomo: Lessons in Unqueering America (SUNY Press 2015).

All submissions are welcome, but the selection committee encourages presentations that fit well with this year’s theme. This intersectional conference solicits proposals that address issues of gender and sexuality across various disciplines, including, but not limited to, the social sciences, humanities, fine arts, activism, and STEM fields. We invite students, faculty, staff, scholars, and activists to propose papers, panels, roundtable discussions, and poster presentations. We also welcome proposals to present or perform creative work, including creative writing, drama, music, and visual art.

Instructions:

All submissions must be sent to https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyyMoyfKCiWL9LjbYU8Yev7FG1Zuq6B8Fx1ccB2rRDLafsUQ/viewform. Provide the following in the form:

1. Your name, affiliation, and contact information
2. Please enter the category of the presentation (History, Social Sciences, STEM, Arts, Activism, Literature and Languages, Business and Economics, or Other Areas of Interest)
3. The format of presentation (e.g., roundtable, paper presentation, visual art)
4. A 250-word abstract with presentation title